I'm new to rhetoric; have never had a class in it before, and know very little about the field. So, it was with great relief that I read the Aristotle. I've used rhetoric; I've even used the word "rhetoric," but I really didn't understand where the concept was coming from and where it was going. I knew some of the things that Aristotle discusses thanks to prior politically-oriented jobs where I used a lot of rhetoric and a lot of persuasion, but finally I feel more or less comfortable with the word, and with the field. It's nice to go close to the source, especially after the job talk yesterday.
On pages 12 and 13 of the Excerpts from Rhetoric, Books I and II, Aristotle cites examples of the use of stories in rhetoric. As a folklore student I'm obviously interested in stories. Folklorists are also very interested in what happens when you write down a text that has previously been oral. I thought it was interesting that in many places within this text (Aristotle) oral tradition has been written down and "solidified." This is fascinating to me; how has argumentation changed since oral forms were initially written down? How might argumentation have changed, had the rules and analysis remained oral and more fluid? Has our worldview been narrowed or broadened by this shift? It's interesting.
Same page, slightly different angle. The relationship between proverbs (a generally accepted genre of folklore) and maxims are fascinating. Also, so is the fact that it is only appropriate for certain people to use maxims in certain situations. Serious folklore elements here.
It's nice to find some overlap between my classes. And I will try to get my brain out of folklore-mode before I post next time.
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3 comments:
Claire I love your honest insights. Having a folklore class with you, as well as having Prahlad as my advisor I love learning more about your field and by pointing out the discoveries you’ve just made has definitely enhanced my slight knowledge of the area. Thanks and please do continue to have folklore fused blogs!
Claire,
Your post got me thinking, I wonder whether some rhetorical strategies are more effective in written-down arguments and less effective in arguments delivered orally.
Claire,
I, too, find your question about whether rhetoric would have evolved differently without the written influence very intriguing. If you think about it, there is usually a difference between how we say something and how we write it. However, I can see benefits to both, particularly since oral argument can become more heated due to immediate emotion. Just some thoughts I had.
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